Seen

I had the incredible opportunity to meet Olympic Gold-medallist Cassie Campbell-Pascall in Calgary with my son Ford. Chevrolet Canada sponsors a hockey helmet program, giving helmets to kids involved in organized hockey. We discussed signs and symptoms of concussions and also had the opportunity to join Cassie on the ice for some fun drills. (Shooting rubber chickens into the net is hugely satisfying!)

What I realized through the experience of listening to Cassie is that sport should be fun. If kids aren’t having fun, they won’t love sport. And if kids don’t feel safe while engaging in sport, they won’t have fun. Pretty simple, but I know several parents who need to realize this in order for sport to be a beautiful part of life.

As Cassie Campbell-Pascall sees it, “we need to understand our role, not just within hockey, but in minor sports in general. We need to ask our coaches “what are goals for the team for this year?” Is it about having fun? Is it about teaching our kids about respect and responsibility and hard work and teamwork and discipline and competition and all those things? Or is it about just winning? It’s really really fun to win, but do you remember how many games you won last year? Do you remember the tournaments you went to though, and the fun times you went to with your teammates? That’s what we remember.”

She talks of the experiences the team had at hotels and on trips – bonding, co-operating and growing as human beings. That’s what makes sport transformative.

I was interviewed as part of the evening and it’s obvious that these Olympians touched me deeply. Thanks, Chevrolet for putting safety and fun into sport.

Disney World’s new Art of Animation Resort opened May 31, 2012. Featuring guest suites that sleep 6, a pool with an underwater sound system, and a Nemo water park for the little ones, this property is certain to be a popular spot for families.

The rooms are comfortably and thematically decorated, with a kitchen area, murphy bed, pullout and a separate bedroom. The two bathrooms (might) ward off spats between siblings and the fun furniture will hook the kids.

Date night? Romantic getaway? If you are on a much needed adult sojourn into Miami’s South Beach neighbourhood, a viewing and a meal at the former Versace Mansion in South Beach should be included in your bucket list. Oh come on. Just get a room there. No named The Villa by Barton G., the structure at 1116 Ocean Drive is an exclusive boutique hotel. Jill Amery attended a function at the mansion as part of the Mom 2.0 Summit. Sponsored by Intel’s Ultrabook, the event featured dancing and incredible food catered by Chef Jeff O’Neill. She is currently devising every possible excuse to get back to Miami in order to recreate the experience.

Ever come back from a great holiday only to discover that you’re not in any of the photos? You might be a great shutterfly, but after the effort of packing and finding the perfect travel outfits, you shouldn’t be an invisible face in the photographic memories of your trips. Disney Resorts’ Disney’s Photopass Program make it easy for you by hiring their own professional photographers in and around the parks with the Disney’s Photopass program. At many of the famous sights and locations with great vistas, you can get snapped by a pro. Ask for a free photopass, get as many photos as you want added via scanner throughout your day, and pop online later to see which ones you would like to order. (And you don’t have to look like a tourist with a huge camera around your neck all day.) Disney’s Photopass program allows you to finally be in the family pictures, too!

We’ve all waited. And waited. So Disney came up with a grand idea: a way of returning to a popular ride at a later time so that you needn’t wait in a long line. A cast member from The Hollywood Tower of Terror explains to us how the Fastpass at Disney Resorts system works.

Randy Bell, celebrated ski and snowboard instructor in Lake Tahoe’s Northstar Resort in California, shares his tips on teaching small children how to hit the slopes. Northstar is one of Vail Resort’s family-friendly destinations. Between the EpicMix (you can track your vertical and ski runs via computer), EpicMix Photo (free share-able pics by professionals all over the mountain) and the funky snowmobiles that shuttle kids to lifts to aid in the ease of learning – the mountain is an incredible family destination (and we’d highly recommend Randy!).

More on why it’s Epic:

EpicPass – the unlimited, unrestricted seasons pass – just one type of pass, there are number of other season pass options – every pass includes the use of
EpicMix to capture stats, vertical feet and mountains visited.

EpicMix – revolutionary technology for the ski industry, only available at Vail Resorts. Uses Radio Frequency (RF) scanners at the base of every lift, and RF technology built into every pass to capture your stats automatically as soon as you hit the slopes. No sign-up or registration required.

I ski. And sail. Teach jazz dancing. And take the kids to playdates and soccer games. And I never, ever have time to style my hair. (or usually even wash it but that’s another story). Born brown, I thought recently for the first time that I should try blond. Well.. if one wants to look like a shaggy-haired stripper I was perfect. But not quite ‘me’. So I went back to brown. And needed some serious shampoo care.

Dove Canada approached me to try their new Nourishing Oil Care line as part of the Real Canadian Hair Challenge – the different climates across our huge country can pose different challenges for women’s hair. I agreed (nothing could be worse than shaggy stripper hair) and I started. The first wash as pretty amazing. I was completely sold on the Dove Nourishing Oil Care Vita Oil Serum that you put on wet hair. Or on the ends when they look shaggy. You guessed it – not only do I hate to shower, but I have absolutely no understanding of hair products..

I tested it for over a month. Seriously. And I am hooked. 10 soccer games later.. 10 ski lessons, a trip to Florida and a few dance classes… sold. My hair needs less styling (as if that were possible) and feels so much better to the touch. Plus, meeting Mark Townsend, celebrity stylist for Dove Canada, was an amazing experience. He shared so many Mom-hair tips which I will send along shortly. (ie. Style only once every 4 days and use his tips and Dove’s dry shampoo between stylings).. For now, you can peek at my experience from beginning to end in this video. But please only remember how my hair looks at the end after Mark has tamed it at the Dove Spa. Enjoy!

We testdrive a ton of vehicles (and we’re behind on the publishing so keep checking back!). Some make us feel like rockstars and some we would never in a million years buy for our family. This video lets you in on a few secrets we’ve developed for finding a family-friendly car that don’t require an automative science degree to decipher. It’s great if the vehicle is good on gas, but if you can’t click the car seats in, your stroller doesn’t fit in the trunk and your kids are so unhappy in the back seat that they scream for hours, even the sexiest car will get 0/10 on the Mom scale.

We all know you need wipes and nappies and extra socks. But have you thought about what Mom needs in the diaper bag? What about chargers, parking meter change and playdate cards? We expolor the rest in our quick video.

Just Ask Baby is the first online on-demand TV channel focused solely on aiding parents in their understanding of their unique infant’s social, emotional and intellectual development. Exclusive, fun videos are hosted by nine-month-old Joey and his infant friends. Watching, we got a true view of what babies Feel, See, Think, Do and Say during their first year.